Department of Intramural-Recreational Sports 2016-17 Annual Report
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- Multi-Activity Court (MAC)
- Health Science Campus Fitness Center
- Exercise Equipment Additions
- General Equipment Additions
- All-Campus Points Championship
Main Gym Floor The numbers for the main gym floor were down a bit from the previous year, but that is following a year of fantastic growth! While 2015-2016 numbers were up about 15% this year we were down about seven thousand users, and while that sounds like a lot, it is still an almost 8% increase over our numbers from the 2014-2015 year. While we never want to see a drop in attendance, this number is more in line with the linear growth we were looking for. This area serves as a venue for such events as competitive pickup games, which had the main gym floor filled to capacity much of the spring during the evening hours. The format and openness of the gym allows on-lookers to join in on the comradery that happens nightly on the courts and helps to display what the students of U of L are able to do in their SRC. It is also the site for special events such as the ACC Mascot Challenge, cheer camps, and Male High School’s project graduation, and many other exciting events. Multi-Activity Court (MAC) This area was host to many intramural events, physical education classes, and pickup games of sports including floor hockey, soccer, and handball. Not often during intramurals seasons would the MAC Court be empty, with many teams using the free time available to practice and other users utilizing the large space to let off some steam with a soccer or volleyball. The open framing to the court allowed students to look in on the events and classes, often encouraging them to become more involved in classes and events. The total numbers for the MAC came out to be 23,335, which is up over 2000. This year saw the MAC play host to a charity fundraising spin cycling event hosted by one of the fraternities, which was very successful and quite interesting. Golf Simulator Golf Simulator saw a slight decrease of users this year, with participation peaking in the months leading to the end of the semesters. This space is more popular with males but is steadily drawing attention from more females, including those who are part of the intramural golf team and those are just practicing to become better. This is always a hot spot on our facility tours, drawing attention with the high tech shot diagnostic and abundance of realistic golf courses. We also hosted some children's clinics put on by the good people at First Tee of Louisville, which will hopefully promote the sport to some kids who might not otherwise get much exposure to the game of golf. Running Track The track, which is 1/11th of a mile, saw a very slight decrease this year of about 1 fewer person per day. This can most likely be attributed to the very mild winter and the fact that the ROTC program consequently did most of their conditioning outside. The indoor track allows those who want to get a jump on their cardio for marathon season, beach season, or just stay in shape during the cold and wet months to stay on track with their fitness goals despite the inclement weather. It is not just the cold and wet weather that people utilize the track for, the very hot and humid weather makes the track a popular destination in the dog days of summer as well. It also provides a very convenient place to jump in and do a bit of mileage in between sets in the weight room or to mix up your cardio routine. Mezzanine Fitness Area The Mezzanine Fitness Area offers a smaller area of cardio machines and free weights than the first floor weight room but still provides ample space for any user’s needs. The area includes cardio machines, free weights, dumbbells, kettle bells, benches, stretching machines, a matted area for more comfort when doing floor exercises while providing a little more privacy than the open weight room. This area is typically more popular with our female patrons, but is slowly becoming just as popular with our male patrons as well, providing them a few more options and the privacy needed for an adequate workout experience. The numbers in this area were down a bit from the previous year mostly due to the ROTC program doing most of their workouts outside since we had a relatively mild winter. Upper Gym Floor The 3rd floor gym has been the site for many intramural games, fitness classes, club usage and special events. The 3rd floor houses 3 basketball courts that are used for intramural basketball, which is where a large number of our users can be found during the intramural season. It has also become a great place to go if you want to learn how to play a new indoor sport, such as volleyball, badminton, or even fencing. It also hosts special events such as cheer camps, ROTC conditioning and the occasional fundraiser. The growth in numbers for the third floor gym has been phenomenal this year! Rocketing from 82599 users last year to well over 95000 users this year. An increase of over 13% from the previous year!! Much of this increase comes from the higher number of intramural basketball and volleyball teams over the previous year but also just a general higher number of everyday users taking advantage of this great space. The Great Lawn The great lawn is a great place to be when the weather permits it. Many users can be found playing pickup soccer, participating in classes, and making friends during the many practices held by the numerous club teams. It hosts Rugby, Lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee clubs, as well as many physical education classes including ultimate frisbee, soccer, and flag football. ROTC met on the field for their morning workouts for much of the year as well. This year we also hosted the Marine Boot Camp Challenge on the turf field and it seemed that it was an unqualified success. Everyone involved really enjoyed the experience and the Marines are a great organization who were great to work with. The turf field is also a popular destination for athletes and students in their off time to increase and improve their cardio capabilities, where they can be seen sprinting, running ladders, and going through circuits. This often leads to other students and users joining as an opportunity to better themselves and meet new people with similar goals. Usage this year increased from 23,450 to 25,739 with the majority of the users being male. Racquetball Courts Racquetball Court usage was up a bit this year. Usage increased about 286 people over last year. We saw quite an uptick in our last full year in the SAC that has carried over to the SRC. While the numbers were down a bit last year they have bounced back nicely this year. Although 286 does not seem like a large number, with only 3 courts that accounts for about an extra group per day playing racquetball which is significant. Outside Plaza The outside plaza is a great place to be in the warmer seasons. The space is used heavily during welcome week on campus to spread word about what is going on campus as well as special events happening in the SRC. It is also a big part of health awareness week where you can often find a huge inflatable colon that grabs the participant’s attention and talks about the importance of medical screenings. In the fall the plaza hosted the President's Ice Cream Social, which seemed to be a great success and we are hoping will become a regular thing. This spring we also hosted the Wendy’s basketball challenge, which was a fun event despite some pretty awful weather. The event was still well-attended and will hopefully come back for a return visit. Qdoba Gaming Area The gaming area tends to be most popular with our male users, but is mainly used for the T.V.s and the access to sports networks. On any given night during school users can be found lounging and relaxing after a stressful day of classes watching their favorite teams and hanging out with their friends in a semi-private area that allows them to relax a little more. The gaming systems find their peak usage during midterms and finals times when students need a way to relax and relieve stress for the upcoming exams. It also is a space for onlookers to sit and watch as their friends participate during intramural events as well as a great resting spot for those enrolled in P.E. classes. The usage numbers for the gaming area were up pretty significantly from last year with over a 40% increase from last year. With any luck this underutilized area will find its niche and attract even more users in the future. Group Fitness Rooms The Group Fitness rooms are utilized for many of our free classes offered to students and members. These classes include Yoga, Zumba, Barre Fitness, TRX, Ballroom Dancing, and Cycling. It also provides private practice areas for groups and individuals to practice their dance routines with the abundance of mirrors that wrap around the rooms. Our total numbers were 34,171 which accounts for about a 7% increase in users from the year before, with a majority of the users being female. We were able to offer quite a few more free fitness classes than in the past which accounts for the substantial increase in users. Classrooms Our classrooms host many versatile events including staff events, physical education classes, vendor meetings, HVAC meetings, gaming club, CCF, fraternity bible studies, Red Cross blood drives, and Male Project Graduation festivities. We often have groups and organizations interested in reserving this space for their events for access to the projectors, smartboards, with each room seating 36 people. Our numbers in the classrooms were up about 50% to 2,406 users. Improvements This year one of the biggest and most requested improvements was the addition of another Olympic squat rack to the weight room floor. Almost from opening day we have had a lot of requests for more squat racks and stations because of the versatility that it brings. Also this year we are replacing the netting above the fence that separates the turf field from the parking lot between Kurz Hall and Bettie Johnson Hall. The netting had become frayed and torn and would no longer contain the soccer balls that were kicked. Health Science Campus Fitness Center The Health Science Campus (HSC) Fitness Center is now in its fifteenth year of operation and has continued to grow in popularity. This year the center recorded its highest attendance ever with 57,996 users, which is an almost 7% increase over last year. This stat is even more impressive when you consider that during the summer (May through August) the center is closed on the weekends and has reduced hours during the week. The extra effort to promote the center on the eve-expanding Health Science Campus has been vital to our growth. While this growth has been tremendous for the facility our smallish size remains an issue. We have tried to offset this by adding as much variety in both cardio and strength equipment to provide our users the best possible workout experience in a smaller center. We have also come to the realization we must maximize the use of the aerobics room because its large open space provides more workout opportunities. Group Fitness Studio Two ways we have increased use in the group fitness studio is through the addition of more department sponsored group fitness classes and Student/Staff organized group workouts. During the fall and spring semesters we added a Yoga class in the evenings on Wednesday nights. Previously Yoga had only been offered at lunchtime, so the evening class gave members the opportunity to participate if they were unable to attend during the lunch hour. For Student/Staff organized group workouts we had MedFit (Medical school), DentFit (Dental school) and a restructured Salsa dance class. MedFit met two days a week and was well-attended, often reaching the room’s maximum capacity. DentFit met three days a week and brought a CrossFit style workout to the center. The Salsa dance group encountered many changes in the past year. The group is now organized by a new staff member from the School of Medicine and is jointly sponsored by Intramural Sports and Get Healthy Now. The class also has a new instructor. The changes appear to be very positive as attendance has increased substantially. Making use of the room is important for a facility with our size limitations and we have done a good job of increasing the programming in that area of the facility this year. A significant portion of our increased attendance came directly from programming in the aerobics room. Exercise Equipment Additions Once again we added new workout equipment to the center to enhance our users’ experience. During the past year we introduced three new pieces of equipment and also replaced some existing equipment. The three new pieces of equipment we added were a set of push up handles, a Lifeline power wheel and an agility ladder. These were all pieces of equipment our users had been asking for and their addition has been well received. The workout equipment we replaced includes jump ropes, boxing gloves, yoga mats and a Concept 2 rower. These replacements were much needed as most of the original equipment was quite old and worn out. While the equipment additions/replacements this year are rather small compared to the previous two years, their impact has been anything but small. Our users are very appreciative and thankful for the equipment additions and offer daily compliments of our commitment to their workout needs. We have been very diligent the past several years about adding equipment and we are about to the point of having to eliminate a piece to install something new. We continually explore different configurations to the main room looking for ways to further expand opportunities for our users. General Equipment Additions There were several other additions to the center during the past year that have had a positive influence on our operation. Those additions to the center include two new front desk computers, a new copier, a new vacuum, a second washer and dryer and a new compressor for the A/C unit courtesy of physical plant. The new computers have been a tremendous addition as they have allowed us to more efficiently check in users and check out equipment. The new copier is something the center has needed for quite a while. The center requires a lot of signage and other documents to be printed. The unreliability of the old copier was an ongoing issue. Fortunately, the new copier has allowed us to print all the necessary items in a much faster manner and without jamming/alignment problems. The new vacuum is a key addition because our custodial staff is only on duty a few hours in the morning and as a result it is up to our staff to maintain the cleanliness of the center throughout the day. As a small center there is constant use in each area and the abundant foot traffic leaves behind a lot of dirt/debris that must be vacuumed several times a day to keep the center clean and presentable. We cannot overstate the importance of adding the second washer and dryer. As mentioned earlier we have more users now than we ever have and that led to a significant increase in laundry for the center. It got to a point where the washer and dryer was running nonstop and we were still getting low on towels (both sweat and shower). The addition of the extra laundry machines eliminated this issue and has eased a lot of concerns we had about being able to provide all our users with the desired towels. The new compressor for the A/C unit has been an essential addition to our center. The original compressor was very old and would often go out at the most inconvenient times (middle of the summer). This would make the center unbearably hot/humid which lead to unhappy users and ultimately declined attendance on those days. As a place where people are participating in strenuous activities it is vital that we have a fully functioning and reliable A/C unit and we are sure our users are extremely thankful for this addition. New Features In the past year we decided we should place more emphasis on providing motivation and fitness information to our users. As a result we created an HSC Fitness Center twitter account, added a motivational board, and started updating our bulletin board on a regular basis. We used the new Twitter account to provide motivational quotes, fitness facts and facility information such as schedule changes to our followers. This Twitter account has really increased our presence in the social media world and helped us better connect with our tech savy users. The motivational board has been a huge success. We typically write two to three motivational workout quotes a week and they seem to truly inspire some of our users. There are many users who come in and immediately start smiling or commenting on how much they enjoy the board. The primary use of the bulletin board is to provide fitness facts in a creative/attractive way. We have had theme’s such as “Spring into FITTness” where “FITT” stands for Frequency (How often), Intensity (How hard), Time (How long) and Type (What kind) as it pertains to exercising. The themes are always expanded upon with examples and illustrations. It is our hope that the bulletin board shows our commitment to promoting the benefits of exercising. Staffing During the past year the HSC Fitness Center said goodbye to four student workers, all of which were lost to graduation. Although they will be sorely missed we could not be more proud of their achievements. Regrettably, three of those students were Federal Work Study and we were not able to completely offset their loss due to a wage increase for student workers and a fixed budget. While our number of student workers is less than previous years, we are very fortunate to have dependable student workers who allow us to provide adequate coverage at the center. We also experienced some turnover with our Departmental Assistant (DA) position this year. Our DA for the past two years, Addina Tritle, left for a full time position within UofL’s Athletic Department. Shelby Fiske, a former HSC Fitness Center student worker, was hired to replace her. However, a few months after taking the position Shelby decided it was in her best interest to enter a Master’s program at Eastern Kentucky University and resigned from her DA position at the end of the spring semester. The search to find a new DA is ongoing and we hope to have one hired in the very near future. Thankfully there were no changes in Facility Manager positions during the past year. Conclusion There has been a continuous commitment to improving the HSC Fitness Center and providing the best possible workout experience for our users. We look forward to continuing these efforts in the next year with a couple of major projects. In the coming months we will be replacing all lockers in both the men’s and women’s locker room and replacing the free weight area floor. These improvements will complete phase 3 of renovation plans for the center and have been preceded by the addition of all new cardio and strength equipment in the past few years. Intramural Sports This year was another record-breaking year for the Intramural component of the department. We saw record numbers of teams and participants in Indoor Soccer, Volleyball, Badminton, Court Dodgeball, Outdoor Soccer, Floor Hockey, and Team Handball. The new student recreation center and the input that we get from the students greatly impact these numbers. We try very hard to keep the schedule fresh and exciting from year to year. We saw a higher than normal staff turnover this year with two undergraduate supervisors graduating and three deciding not to return for varying reasons. With five undergraduate supervisors not returning, we obviously had to fill that void with five new ones. We had some challenges early on this year with five new undergraduate supervisors. Fortunately everyone adjusted to their new roles quickly and the issues that we had early did not last very long. Facility space inside the new student recreation center is a lot easier to come by than it was in the SAC. We have had no trouble scheduling Volleyball or Basketball teams, due to us having three basketball courts always at our disposal. The MAC Court has allowed us to offer Indoor Soccer, Floor Hockey, and Team Handball. Having only one MAC Court has started to be a challenge with the number of Indoor Soccer teams that we have had, but so far we have been able to accommodate every team. Our outdoor space received less wear and tear on it this year as we once again over seeded the fields with rye in the winter. Our participants took notice of the improved field conditions and were very appreciative. We once again used IMLeagues and Rec*IT to do everything Intramurals-related. Both of these platforms have gone a long way in us being able to streamline our processes for registering teams and keeping track of participation numbers. We also started a new social media campaign on Twitter this year called “Game of the Night.” We would pick one game each night to feature in a Twitter poll and users were able to select who they thought would win that game. These Twitter polls had some of the highest levels of engagement of any of our tweets all year. All-Campus Points Championship All three points races came down to the wire with two of the races coming down to the final night of competition. The organizations that were able to put together consistent performances all year ended up beating out all of the other competitors. The Fraternity Division saw Sigma Chi and Sigma Phi Epsilon pull away from all of the other organizations early. This race was not decided until the last night of competition for the school year. Sigma Phi Epsilon won the championships in Soccer, Putt-Putt, and Handball on the last night to win the championship by 12.5 points over Sigma Chi. The Soccer championship saw Sigma Phi Epsilon play Sigma Chi in a winner take all final. It is amazing that a race that includes 28 different events came down to the last night of play and was separated by a total of 12.5 points. The Campus Division saw a few very competitive teams but we saw one organization rise above all others this year. The winning organization made a late charge and was able to come out on top at the end of the year by virtue of winning Putt-Putt on the last night of play. This year’s Campus points champion was Sigma Alpha Epsilon, winning by 35 points over Pi Kappa Alpha. The Women’s Closed points race saw a little back and forth between two organizations during the year with one group finally taking control in the last few events. The difference between first and second place in this race was 67.5 points, with Kappa Delta beating out Delta Zeta. We have never had a year that all 3 points races came down to the wire like they did this year. Sportsmanship As with every year the department strives to encourage sportsmanlike acts while enforcing rules set in place to discourage unsportsmanlike conduct of the participants. Many protocols have been put in place to make participants aware of the standards the department has set for sportsmanship. Participants must sign a sportsmanship contract and are read a sportsmanship statement at every game prior to taking the field in order to remind them of their pledge to remain good sports. Ultimately the department would like to have zero ejections over the course of the year and this year we came very close, only having 3 ejections. All 3 ejections came in Flag Football. All of the ejected participants were dealt with in a firm but fair manner. Our hope is that after participants are ejected once that they will not have any more issues on the field during Intramural play. Intramural Handbook The 2016-17 Intramural Handbook continued to be a valuable tool for the participants. This handbook gave participants answers to a lot of their questions and allowed them to become informed participants. The handbook serves as a measure of checks and balances for the participants in order to be certain that the Intramural program is upholding the responsibilities set in place in the handbook. The Intramural Handbook is getting updated this year to make sure that several rules including the eligibility rules are easier to understand. Directory: intramurals -> about-us intramurals -> Monday, April 20th through Saturday May 2nd Registration Deadline: Monday, April 13th at 5pm the game about-us -> Department of Intramural-Recreational Sports 2014-15 Annual Report about-us -> Annual Report Table of Contents Download 462.08 Kb. Share with your friends:
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